GULLANE, SCOTLAND – JULY 18: Tom Lehman of the United States hits his tee shot on the third hole during the first round of the 142nd Open Championship at Muirfield on July 18, 2013 in Gullane, Scotland. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Tom Lehman skipped Thursday’s pro-am at the 3M Championship because he was feeling ill and uncertain whether he would be able to play in Friday’s first round. Well, not only did he play, he shot a 3-under 69 that positions him within striking distance of the leaders.

Lehman, a Minnesota native, former British Open champion and two-time defending Charles Schwab Cup winner on the Champions Tour, was disappointed with two bogeys on the back nine.

I talked to him afterward about his round and what ailed him.

BS: How do you feel?

TL: I feel all right. I feel a lot better today than I did yesterday.

BS: What was it — the flu?

TL: Ever since I got home from England (earlier this week after playing back-to-back weeks in the British Open and Senior British Open) I’ve been coming down with something. It’s been getting worse day-by-day. Yesterday, I woke up feeling awful. I slept all day. I needed that. I feel better. I started out today, got up and didn’t feel great. As the day went on, I started feeling a little stronger.

BS: You’ve got to like the way you finished, with a birdie on No. 18.

TL: I finished with a birdie but I let a good round get away a little bit. I was 4-under and playing pretty well. Then I just missed a short putt on 12. From that point on, I just didn’t get the ball very close a couple of times. Overall, considering the way I felt this morning, I’m pretty happy with that (round).

BS: Can you blame the bogeys on being sick?

TL: No. I couldn’t do that. Sometimes, I’d walk on the course today feeling so run down (yet) my tempo was so good. I hit the ball really well. As I got a little bit stronger, my tempo got worse. You would think it would be just the opposite. Starting out the day I hit it great. I didn’t finish quite that well.

BS: How do you explain something like that?

TL: It’s not unusual. I think when I’ve been sick before, my tempo typically slows down. Things get slower. The energy level is so low there’s no rushing. I kind of felt that way about the first 10 or 12 holes. I was really in no hurry — lethargic almost. My tempo was perfect. Being 4-under par gets your interest. A little more adrenaline got going and I started hitting it worse.

BS: Do you think you picked up something in Great Britain or is it from all the travel and its impact on your immune system?

TL: It’s just all the travel. Three majors in a row and traveling all those time zones. And playing every round with pressure and grinding and then being on an airplane with 300 semi-sick people also. That’ll do it to you.

BS: How do you feel about your game?

TL: It’s been a frustrating year. I had a lot of rounds like today, where I played really well for a while and then just kind of lose it. A lot of tournaments have been that way, where I played well for a while and kind of lost it. I’m hitting more bad shots, putting myself in worse positions and making more bogeys. My putting isn’t nearly as good as it has been the last couple of years. Just a lot of erratic play. I just can’t seem to put 18 holes together, or three or four rounds together. Very frustrating.

BS: It’s not something where you deconstruct your game, is it?

TL: I’ve gotten a few bad habits that have worked into my game. I worked with (the late) Jim Flick for 20-something years and he’s no longer around. I’m kind of at a loss right now where to go to get fixed. Actually, I had a good conversation with (instructor) Butch Harmon. I’m going to start working with him.

BS: You feel pretty good being at 3 under?

TL: It’s going to take some low scoring. You can’t really afford to give them away. What I don’t like here are the bogeys. A course like this, if you’re playing well, you should be able to go a round (with) no bogeys, one bogey maximum. I made two bogeys on the last six holes; you just can’t afford to do that.

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